U.S. patent application Ser. No. 20,395, filed Mar. 2, 1987, and now U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,355 describes an apparatus for loading a stack of articles into a container. In accordance with the aforementioned patent application, a stack of articles in side-by-side relation is conveyed along a horizontal conveyor and is deposited in a pivotable bin. A clamping mechanism associated with one of the end walls of the bin clamps the stack to the bin and the bin is pivoted and the bottom wall of the bin is then moved to a release position. The bin containing the clamped stack is then lowered toward a container and by releasing the clamping mechanism, the stack will be dropped into the container.
In some instances, up to fifty articles are stacked in side-by-side relation and loaded into an elongated box or container. Frequently, the container is made of relatively flexible or flimsy material, such as cardboard or plastic, and the elongated side walls of the container tend to bend or deflect, so that they are not parallel. If the elongated side walls of the container are deflected inwardly, then the stack cannot be properly loaded into the container, with the result that the stack is disrupted and articles may jam in the mechanism, resulting in a shutdown of the conveyor system.